The Dauntless Games
by farthing101
Summary: There is no war, but there are The Games, just as worse, just as gruelling. A slight cross-over between the Hunger Games and The Divergent Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

**The story is set 2 months after the initiation process. The war does not happen & slight parts of the divergent story have been altered. It is a slight mix between divergent and the hunger games.**

I awaken to a loud ringing. The Pit's huge clock signals the start of the day. My eyes snap open and I feel a nervous energy shoot through me, an anxious pounding begins in my head.I'm not surprised to see I'm not the only one to feel this way. My roommate Christina is already up, tying her shoelaces with trembling fingers. Seeing her like this, however is unnerving, my best friend, as tough as nails, reduced to an emotional wreck. I can see she is trying to be brave but I know her too well and her worry is catching. We all dreaded this day, right from the start of initiation. It was one of my biggest motives to get a high ranking, as we were told that lowers your chance of being picked. Being picked for The Dauntless Games, the event that happens every 2 years, in which dauntless are put through impossible challenges to prove to the other factions what we are made of. Other factions have their equivalent of course, but none can really match the Dauntless Games. The Erudite hold the The Mind Battle in which 5 members fight for their membership through a series of six gruelling 12 hour exams & mental trials, pushing their knowledge to the very edge. Only 1 member in each Games will stay in their faction however, the rest banished from the city, labelled as an 'embarrassment' to their faction. This ancient tradition, although seemingly brutal, has kept the city running for countless years, the winners portrayed as the perfect examples of how each faction should be.

The candidates are reaped from the initiates from the current year and the previous year: attempting to prove the quality of the young members & to show how effective the initiation training is. Some call it the 'second' initiation, the one that picks the sheep from the lambs, as it were, although only five initiates take part. This year marks the 8th anniversary of the Dauntless Games, the year of my initiation.

This means both me and Chris, and our other fellow initiates are in contention to be picked.

We walk to the Pit in silence. The tension is broken slightly as Chris's boyfriend Will joins us, solemnly wishing us both luck. We return the gesture however we all know that luck plays a very small part in the reaping. Since I came first in initiation, my name will only be in the ballot once, making my chances of being picked extremely low. The same cannot be said for Will and Christina. Coming 6th and 7th respectively, the likelihood of them being picked is already far greater than any of us would have liked. Also being the younger year of initiates, we are at an immediate disadvantage shall any of us be picked. At least this is what everyone presumes. I know otherwise. The exact details of what happens in the Games are kept top secret, only known by Dauntless leaders and previous victors. (Rumour has it that the true challenges are not reported in detail or shown to the public for if anyone knew the horrors of what went on, the Games would be shut down immediately!) Luckily for me my mentor-turned-boyfriend Tobias ( more commonly known as Four) was victor two years ago, in his initiation year,and assured me that nothing, neither age nor experience, can prepare you.


	2. Chapter 2

His attempt to reassure me, however, did quite the opposite.

I meet his eyed through the ever-growing crowd as we enter the Pit. His tight smile doesn't quite reach his eyes and I know he is nervous for me. Suddenly silence falls throughout the crowd of initiates, families and other dauntless. Eric, a Dauntless leader, makes his way through the masses of people and slowly goes to stand on a podium in the centre of the Pit. His has a bowl in his hand. His snide voice cuts through the silence like a knife.

" Welcome to the 15th anniversairy of the Dauntless Games! You all know how the next bit works, but firstly I would like to notify you a slight change we have made this year" His peircing eyes scan the crown and a slow smile creeps across his face. I have no doubt some horrible new twist had been added, or some sadistic new challenge. That is the kind of thing I'm sure Eric would support. Dauntless wasn't always like this, I've been told, but the through the years the values of our faction have been twisted and turned into something darker, focusing less on bravery and more on aggression.

" After talks with Erudite we have been advised of a new system for the reaping, in order for only the very best of us to be challenged. This year onwards, the amount of times your name will be on the ballot will still be based on your ranking, but in reverse order. This means the highest ranked intitiate's name will be entered in the ballot 10 times for example." A gasp echoes across the audience and I can suddenly hear my pounding heartbeat in my ears. My palms feel sweaty and my legs begin to tremble. I try to pull myself together. _I am a dauntless, I AM brave._ I zone out through the next part of Eric's speech until he reaches his hand into the bowl to pull out the first name. I feel the pitying looks from my friends and take a deep breath.

" The first candidate for this year's Games is... Peter!" I can't help but feel slightly happy as my worst enemy makes his way up onto the stage. The next names are Jace and Elena, both intitiates from the previous year. As each name is called I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders, however I know I am not out of danger yet._ Only two more to go..._ I cross my fingers and hope.

"... and the next candidate is Tris!" Eric flashes me an evil grin and I walk up to the stage, my body numb.


	3. Chapter 3

I hear Chris gasp and Will cuss under his breath, but I can't think of my friends right now. How naive of me to think that my horrors would ender after initiation. I know it's not very Dauntless of me to feel this way. I should be thrilled at the prospect of another challenge, another chance to prove myself. But I can't help think... Why me? Haven't I endured enough? I left my family and all that I had known to come here,I suffered abuse because of my previous faction, I faced discrimination and intimidation at ever corner but I survived. I made it through initiation and I won. (I even managed to score myself a few firm friends and an amazing boyfriend along the way!) Yet I was picked for this, a bigger challenge than I have ever had to face.  
By the time I reach Eric at the podium and stand by the other candidates, I have snapped back to reality, just in time to hear him read out the last name, 'Daryl'. My stomach drops as I recognize the name. Daryl Cane, the highest ranked initiate of the previous year and the most respected Dauntless yet. He has an impressive 6 fears in his fear landscape, like me, but he is the fastest Dauntless ever to complete it and only took 1 minute to finish it during his initiation. That means for every fear it took him only 10 seconds to either face it or to bring his breathing and heart rate back to normal. He was victorious in his initiation year by a huge margin, as his physical skill and simulations times were the best too, not only out of the transfers but the dauntless-borns as well. Daryl is not only respected by every single member, but looked upon. Yet he isn't cocky or arrogant or anything you would expect such a person to be. Instead he is the polar opposite. Quiet and mysterious, he keeps to himself and no one is close enough to him to know about his past. He came from candor, but that's where his biography stops. His quiet nature just adds to his predatory, deadly presence. As he makes his way to the podium the crowd parts for him. We all gather next to each other on the podium and there is a rush of anticipation from the crowd as our names are read out again. Everyone knows that this will be an exiting games. Never before have a such equally and highly matched group of candidates been reaped and excitement in the room is palpable.

**Thanks everyone for the follows and reviews. I hope you prefer it now I've edited this chapter :)**


	4. Chapter 4

After the reaping the other candidates and I are quickly ushered into a private room in the corner of the pit before we can talk to anyone. Peter, I can tell, is far too pleased that he has been given a second chance to beat me at something. He smirks at me before tripping me up as we make our way into the room. I feel colour spreading through my cheeks as I hit the floor and his arrogant voice just infuriates me further.  
'Don't think you'll be so lucky this time Stiff! No one will go easy on you now, we've all seen past your helpless abnegation act.'  
I restrain my self from jumping to my feet and starting a fight that I know I won't win. There is no point showing the other candidates my biggest weakness. Jace and Elena laugh when they see me on the ground and kick my feet as they go by. Daryl stalks past without a glance in my direction. What a lovely bunch I'm up against, eh?  
Max, another Dauntless leader, waits for us in the room.

' Congratulations candidates! I'm sure you are all honored to have been reaped this year and I hope you take this opportunity to prove you belong here in Dauntless. now before we begin proceedings, I would like to wish you all the best of luck... May the odds be ever in your favour!'

We are told we have one hour of free time to relax and prepare before the first challenge. Anyone who is late will start with a disadvantage. There is only one thing on my mind as we are released from the room... Four.

**Sorry for such short chapters. I just find it easier to write little chunks at a time and I don't want to keep you waiting forever ! Thanks for the follows and reviews are really helpful & appreciated! Be as honest as you like :)**


End file.
